High level tramway



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1. E. BOOK. HIGH LEVEL TRAMWAY.

No. 594,061. Patented Nov. 23, 1897.

NuRms PETKRS co momma WASHINGTON u c (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. BOOK. HIGH LEVEL TRAMWAY.

No. 594,061. Patented Nov. 23, 1897'.

ATENT EDITARD BOOK, OF BANGKOK, SIAM.

HIGH-LEVEL TRAMWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,061, dated November 23, 1897.

Application filed July 10, 1897. Serial.l\lo.644,143. (No model.) Patentedin France September 10, 1895, No. 250,186; in Belgium October 14, 1895, No.117,867; in Switzerland October 14, 1895, No. 11,363; in England October 15,1895, No. 19,370; in Austria October 16, 1895, No. 45/4,530; in Hungary O tob r 21, 1895, No. 4,460; in Norway October 23,

1895,1T0. 4,724; in Sweden December 19, 1895, No. 7,442; in Denmark December 21, 1895, No. 808, and in Italy December 28, 1895, 40,447/244.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDUARD BOOK, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Bangkok, Siam, have invented new and useful Improvements in High Level Tramways, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in France September 10, 1895, No.

250,186; in Belgium October 14, 1895, No.

) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved system of high-level tramways and rolling-stock and it consists principally of providing the vehicles with balloons to relieve the structure from practically all live loads, except such as is necessary to produce sufficient friction to propel cars along the supporting and guiding rails or cables.

The principal objection to elevated railways heretofore constructed is their immense cost of building, owing to the heavy rollingstock propelled over the track, which necessitates deep foundations, heavy columns,

cross and longitudinal girders and bracings,v

and besides this obstructing to a large degree the streets occupied by such railways.

In myimproved overhead railway, in which the weight of the rolling-stock, cars, or other vehicles is principally carried by balloons attached to the same, the superstructure supporting the guide and carrying rails or cables may be safely made very light, reducing the cost thereof to a minimum and obstructing streets very little. Provision, however, must be made to safely guide and protect the vehicles or cars against wind-pressure.

My invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the car, showing the means for attaching the balloon or balloons to a car, the sails for increasing the driving power, the guide and supporting cables or rails, and the guide-wheels engaging the latter. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the railway, showing a car in position on the supporting and guide cables or rails and also showing the balloon attachedto the top of the car, the special arrangement of the supporting and guide cables or rails, the means for transmitting power to the cars, and also staircases as access to the cars. Fig. 3 is a section on the line I II of Fig. 2, showing the lower part of the balloons and the top of the car with the sails taken in on one side and set on the other. Fig. 4 shows the detail construction of the mountings in which the guide-wheels of the vehicle are journaled.

Referring now to the drawings for a further description of my invention, M are the columns or posts of the superstructure, firmly held and supported in the ground and connected in the middle and at the top by struts d. Corner brackets may be employed to stiffen the posts transversely,and tie-rods (not shown) may be used to brace the columns or posts longitudinally, so as to transmit the strains due to wind-pressure, running and braking of cars, to the foundations of the columns. To the struts or cross-girders d are suitably fastened arms a, to which the supporting and guide cables or rails s are secured. In the drawings are shown eight of such supporting and guide cables or rails s 8 stone of which, 8 is arranged for the drivingwheels below the cars, two (marked 8) on each side of the car and at about the height of the ceiling of the car, and five guide cables or rails s at the top of the balloon or balloons. It will, however, be understood that any other number of cables or rails may be employed and placed at positions different from those shown.

Platform-stations may suitably be arranged along a railway of my improved system and be accessible by staircases, asshown in Fig.2.

The cars or vehicles V to be propelled electrically over such railway are constructed as light as possible and in any desired shape, with vestibules for the motorman, benches for the passengers, 850. Each car V is provided with frictional driving-wheels 0, arranged below the bottom of the car and driven by gear-wheels from suitable electric or other motors e, situated under the benches. On the sides of the cars and at about the ceiling thereof are arranged other wheels 0 to further support and guide the car V by the ca bles 8'.

Each car V is provided with one or more sections of a balloon B to carry the greater portion of the weight of the car to relieve the superstructure from most all live load, except so much as is necessary to produce sufficient friction for the propulsion of the car V by the motors e and driving-wheels 0. The balloon is made in two or more sections or divided into two or more compartments, so that if one section is mutilated or useless the other compartments are still intact and avoid accidents. The balloon B is made of any suitable material, pointed at both ends to reduce the resistance oifered by the air and secured to the top of the car V by the steel bands 1', which latter brace and stiffen the balloon-cover. On certain of the steel bands r are provided guide rollers or wheels 1), engaging the upper guide cables or rails 5. These guide-wheels p, as well as the wheels 0, are journaled in the spring-arms m, secured to the frame of the car and balloon-stays r, as shown in detail in Fig. 4:. The arms on are bent at their free extremities and are provided with the buttons is, which normally abut each other and at all times inclose the respective cables or rails s to insure safety. lVhenever in the propulsion of the car the arms m come in contact with the cable or rail support a, the former yield outward and let the latter pass between, after which the buttons 7.; again abut.

As before stated, preference is given to electric motors to propel the cars along the railway, and it may here be remarked that cerbe made in the detail construction and ar rangements of the superstructure as well as of the cars, and I desire it to be understood that modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letter Patent, is-

1. An overhead railway comprising a superstructure composed of posts connected by two transversely-disposed struts, a cable carried by the lower strut to partly support the rolling-stock, a car provided with guide and driving wheels adapted to engage the said cable, a compartment-balloon attached to the car and serving to carry the greater portion of the weight of the car, guide-wheels jo'urnaled to the frame of the balloon and engaging the cables suspended from the upper strut of the superstructure, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an overhead railway comprising a superstructure composed of posts, transverse struts, cable-supports a and cables, in combination with a car-body supported by a balloon and the said cables, of driving and guide wheels for the said car-body and balloon, said wheels j ournaled in bearings having yielding ends to allow for the passage of the cable-sup ports a when the car with its balloons is in motion, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at Bangkok, Siam, this 12th day of May, 1897.

EDUARD BOCK. Witnesses:

LAWRENCE EUGENE BENNETT, P. V. KILLETT, EDWARD V. KILLETT. 

